Friday press conference - Canadian GP - Pt.1

The first zone is longer than the second and would be the natural overtaking place anyway. I think we will have to see how that pans out on Sunday. If you manage to make the overtake, which ordinarily would be possible in the first section, then DRS will just give you an advantage in the second section to extend the gap from the guy you just overtook – which may not be the required outcome. That may prevent a re-overtake should the guy not get the best speed through the final corner. But if you don't make the overtake stick in the first section but manage to get very close, then the second section should help maybe to make it count. We will have to see. I mean it is the first time we have done it so it will be an interesting experiment.

Q:We have had 11 wins from McLaren, 11 wins Ferrari in the Canadian Grand Prix so from what you have seen today what chances of making it 12 do you reckon?

PL:Well that is what we would like to do obviously. We felt we had a good chance and nearly got the win in Monaco. If we can make one here that would be absolutely fantastic. Just the score we need to take us into sort of the second third of the season and to try and turn it around into a series of McLaren wins rather than the Red Bull wins. But from the performance today it is clear that other teams are looking quick as well. It could be very close so either way we will get an interesting race, but we hope to win it yes.

Q:Sam, things seem to have turned around. You had a rotten start to the season. Would we be right in thinking things seem to have turned around a bit?

Sam Michael:Yeah, I think over the last three or four races we have definitely started to qualify better. We still only have two points on the board but we have definitely turned it around from the first few races. We are getting a lot of parts onto the car that we really should have had on earlier but for various reasons we struggled to get them onto the car and make them work. But we took some good steps over the last race and another really good step today here in Canada in identifying those designs and making sure that they work properly. I am pretty hopeful that we can take another good step tomorrow here. It's good as it gives the wind tunnel direction, it gives you focus inside the factory and the way it is going at the moment it's a really nice direction. I think over the next couple of races with the parts we have got coming, which complement the bits that are working now - and I refer mainly to diffusers and front wings which are the primary devices on the car - it is quite encouraging to see that turnaround and really understand and learn a lot about it.

Q:Have many of those parts been to do with low downforce here or not?

SM:None of them actually. We did bring a lower drag rear wing but we are not sure if we will race that yet. I think we are in a similar state as everyone else in that you tend to race a much higher level of downforce in Montreal than what you are used to. I think from our point of view DRS does have an effect as what we used to do in the past was race a level of drag that was maybe seven or eight kilometres quicker than your optimum lap time to make sure you could overtake and not be overtaken. You would lose lap time off your optimum. We tend not to do that now and that is what's really pushed us towards one set of wings and it looks like Montreal is not going to be an exception to that but we haven't made our final decision.

Q:How are your own personal plans coming along?

SM:Fine. I mean my short-term focus right now is on Williams to be honest and it has been for the last few months. And that's that.

Q:So it is looking good on the CV anyway?

SM: As I said, my focus is Williams right now.

Q:Eric, would you recap what happened with FOTA's involvement with the Bahrain business. How exactly have you seen that? How pleased are you with the outcome?

Eric Bouiller:I think we have followed what happened in the World Council, the decision which was taken there unanimously. I think the teams have expressed their views in the recent weeks and their concerns, mainly about what we had already agreed, India and the safety issue. I mean the usual one. We decided to write a letter –which was a private one but it became rather public – to the FIA and to Bahrain. You know the rest of the story because it was all public so at the end I think a decision was made and we are happy to be back in Bahrain in due time.

Q:Are you a little unhappy at the confusion. Could it have been resolved a bit simpler?

EB:I think reading on the forums and spending some time with the fans you can understand the reaction and you cannot be happy when such mess has been raised and it is not good for the image of Formula One definitely.

Q:Talking of fans. Last night you had the fans' forum. How did that go?

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